476 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
476 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
From: rccarm00@nx19.mik.uky.edu (ron c carman)
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Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc
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Subject: Star Trek Novels: The Year in Review [1988]
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Message-ID: <rccarm00.726082891@mik.uky.edu>
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Date: 3 Jan 93 17:41:31 GMT
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Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences
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Lines: 468
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This is a review of Pocket Books' Star Trek novels published
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during 1988.
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Ratings translate as follows:
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Rating Meaning
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--------------------------------------
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5 SUPERIOR: Run out and buy this NOW
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4 EXCELLENT: Make sure to buy this soon
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3 AVERAGE: Purchase as funds allow
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2 POOR: Wait for your tax refund
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1 AWFUL: Avoid at ALL costs
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1988 Releases-at-a-glance:
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-----------------------------
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Book # Title Date Published Rating / 5
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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TOS G3 Final Frontier January 1988 4+
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TOS #38 The IDIC Epidemic February 1988 4+
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TOS #39 Time for Yesterday April 1988 5
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TOS #40 Timetrap June 1988 3-
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TNG #1 Ghost Ship July 1988 3+
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TOS #41 The Three-Minute Universe August 1988 3+
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TOS H1 Spock's World September 1988 5+
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TNG #2 The Peacekeepers September 1988 3
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TOS #42 Memory Prime October 1988 4-
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TNG #3 The Children of Hamlin November 1988 4+
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TOS #43 The Final Nexus December 1988 5-
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------------------
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TNG Average: 3+
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------------------
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TOS Average: 4+
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------------------
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Year Average: 4
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/* Quite a good year, I'd say */
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Possible *SPOILERS* for Trek books released in '88.
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>TOS G3 Final Frontier Copyright January 1988
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>Author: Diane Carey
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> This is the story of a hero -- and a moment forever lost to history.
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>
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> It is a tale of Starfleet's early days, of a time before the STAR TREK
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>we know. The story of a secret mission gone horribly wrong -- and an
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>instant in time when the galaxy stood poised on the brink of one final,
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>destructive war. It is the story of a ship since passed on into legend,
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>and a man we know only as the father of Starfleet's greatest captain.
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> His name is Kirk. Commander George Samuel Kirk. He is a warrior,
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>born and bred to battle. Now destiny has placed the fate of a hundred
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>innocent worlds on his shoulders.
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>
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> And put the power of the greatest weapon the galaxy has ever seen
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>in his hands...
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The predecessor to _Best_Destiny_, this is a great novel about
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Starfleet's early days. And even though we see little of the usually
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central characters, this is a thoroughly enjoyable tale.
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Carey does her usual good job of bringing her characters to life.
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At times, she does fall prey to the habit of describing Kirk with
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a sort of awe-filled, teenage hero-worship, but it doesn't become all
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that distracting...
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[Final Frontier]
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Characterization: 4
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 5
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Narrative: 4
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Total: 4+
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Next: The IDIC Epidemic
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>TOS #38 The IDIC Epidemic Copyright February 1988
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>Author: Jean Lorrah
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> I.D.I.C. -- Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination. More than
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>just a simple credo, for those of the planet Vulcan it is the cornerstone
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>of their philosophy.
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> Now, on the Vulcan Science Colony Nisus, that credo of tolerance is
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>being put to its sternest test. For here, on a planet where Vulcan,
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>Human, Klingon, and countless other races live and work side by side, a
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>deadly plague has sprung up. A plague whose origins are somehow rooted
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>in the concept of I.D.I.C. itself. A plague that threatens to tear down
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>that centuries-old maxim and replace it with an even older concept.
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> Interstellar War.
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Ms. Lorrah proves once again that not everything that comes out of
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Kentucky is unworthy of notice... ;-)
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This story is well-crafted and solid. The characterization is
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excellent as is the interaction between characters. The dialogue,
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unfortunately, is mostly average.
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Overall, though, I'd say this is a thoroughly entertaining
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entry in Pocket Books' repertoire.
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[The IDIC Epidemic]
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Characterization: 4
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 5
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Narrative: 4
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Total: 4+
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Next: Time for Yesterday
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>TOS #39 Time for Yesterday Copyright April 1988
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>Author: A.C. Crispin
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>Historian's Note: _Time_for_Yesterday_ takes place after the
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> events chronicled in "Star Trek: The Motion
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> Picture" and Howard Weinstein's novel _Deep_Domain_.
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Time in the galaxy has stopped running in the normal course. That
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>can mean only one thing -- the Guardian of Forever is malfunctioning.
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>To save the universe, Starfleet Command reunites three of its most
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>legendary figures -- Admiral James T. Kirk, Spock of Vulcan, and Dr.
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>Leonard McCoy -- and sends them on a desperate mission to contact the
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>Guardian, a journey that ultimately takes them 5,000 years into the
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>past. They must find Spock's son Zar once again -- and bring him
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>back to their time to telepathically communicate with the Guardian.
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> But Zar is enmeshed in troubles of his own, and soon Kirk, Spock,
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>McCoy find themselves in a desperate struggle to save both their
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>world -- and his!
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I'm generally not very enthusiastic about sequels. They never
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quite seem to measure up to the original. But this novel, the sequel
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to _Yesterday's_Son_, is one I can be enthused over.
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This novel is every bit as good as its predecessor, in every way.
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Characterization and plot are both dead on, and additionally, the
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reader can really *feel* what is going on... If you enjoyed reading
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_Yesterday's_Son_ you won't want to miss this one.
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[Time for Yesterday]
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Characterization: 5
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 5
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Narrative: 5
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Total: 5
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Next: Timetrap
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>TOS #40 Timetrap Copyright June 1988
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>Author: David Dvorkin
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> In a remote area of Federation space, the Enterprise picks up an
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>urgent distress signal -- from a Klingon vessel! Tracing the S.O.S.,
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>the crew finds the Klingon cruiser Mauler, trapped in a dimensional
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>storm of unprecedented power. Yet paradoxically, the ship refuses
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>both the Enterprise's call and the offers of help.
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> Determined to discover what the Klingons are doing in Federation
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>space, Kirk beams aboard their ship with a security team, just as
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>the storm flares to its highest intensity. As the bridge crew
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>watches in horror, Mauler vanishes from the Enterprise's viewscreen.
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> And James T. Kirk awakens... one hundred years in the future.
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Well, that was... interesting. It was good, I suppose; nothing
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was really appealing or enthralling, however. It just sort of had a
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used feeling, I guess... There was nothing fresh here. There was
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also nothing very thought provoking.
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On the other hand, nothing was terribly wrong with it either.
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Characterization and plot were at least average...
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[Timetrap]
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Characterization: 3
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Premise: 2
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Plot Handling: 3
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Narrative: 3
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Total: 3-
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Next: Ghost Ship
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>TNG #1 Ghost Ship Copyright July 1988
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>Author: Diane Carey
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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>
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>FIRST IN A BRAND-NEW SERIES OF ORIGINAL NOVELS,
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>BASED ON THE HIT TELEVISION SHOW
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>
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> 1995: A mysterious creature destroys a Russian aircraft carrier --
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>and just as mysteriously, disappears...
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> And three hundred years later, Counselor Deanna Troi awakens in her
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>quarters from a nightmare, a nightmare where she senses (and understands)
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>the voices of the crew lost aboard that ship, a crew whose life essences
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>were somehow absorbed within the creature that destroyed their ship long ago.
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> Now, Picard must find a way to communicate with the creature -- or he and
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>his crew will be similarly absorbed by the "ghost ship"!
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As this is the first in the series of Next Generation novels,
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a little leeway should be allowed; the book was written, after all,
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almost before the TV series began...
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Even at that, though, this is at best a decent adventure.
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The characterization is a bit off, and the dialogue is at times
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downright cornball. If you can ignore the dialogue, the plot
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is reasonably solid and well thought out.
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[Ghost Ship]
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Characterization: 3+
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Premise: 4
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 3-
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Total: 3+
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Next: The Three-Minute Universe
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>TOS #41 The Three-Minute Universe Copyright August 1988
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>Author: Barbara Paul
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> The Sackers. In all Captain James T. Kirk's travels, he has
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>never found a race more universally shunned and abhorred. Their
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>mere appearance causes most Federation members to become violently
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>ill.
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> Now the Sackers have performed a deed whose brutality matches
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>their horrifying exterior. They have stolen a revolutionary new
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>scientific device -- murdering an entire race in the process --
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>and used it to create a rip in the fabric of space, a hole through
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>which another universe is rapidly leaking. Unless Captain Kirk
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>and the crew of the Enterprise can find a way to stop the new
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>universe's expansion, it will consume -- and utterly destroy --
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>our own.
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This one had the potential to turn into one of your standard
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"Enterprise saves the universe" story-lines, but surprisingly
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enough, turned out rather better than that.
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Barbara Paul has a definite grasp on how to create
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interesting characters (not to mention new races ;-) ).
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The action moves along nicely, and the plot has no major
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problems.
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No great philosophy here, but an interesting read.
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[The Three-Minute Universe]
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Characterization: 3
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Premise: 4
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Plot Handling: 3
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Narrative: 3
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Total: 3+
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Next: Spock's World
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>TOS H1 Spock's World Copyright September 1988
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>Author: Diane Duane
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Ever since 1966, when the very first episode of the original
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>STAR TREK television series aired, casual fans and devoted Trekkers
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>alike have been captivated by the alien Mr. Spock and his enigmatic
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>home planet Vulcan. Now, for the first time anywhere, here is an
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>in-depth look at the secret history of both.
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>
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> It is the twenty-third century. On the planet Vulcan, a crisis
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>of unprecedented proportion has caused the convocation of the planet's
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>ruling council -- and summoned the U.S.S. Enterprise from halfway
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>across the galaxy, to bring Vulcan's most famous son home in its hour
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>of need. As Commander Spock, his father Sarek, and Captain James T.
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>Kirk struggle to preserve the very future of the Federation, the
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>innermost secrets of the planet Vulcan are laid bare before us, from
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>its beginnings millions of years ago to its savage prehistory, from
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>merciless tribal warfare to medieval court intrigue, from the
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>exploration of space to the development of c'thia -- the ruling ethic
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>of logic. And Spock -- torn between his duty to Starfleet and the
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>unbreakable ties that bind him to Vulcan -- must find a way to
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>reconcile both his own inner conflict and the external dilemma his
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>planet faces... lest the Federation itself be ripped asunder.
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I can't say very much about this one, except that it is a
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fabulous story. Diane Duane continues her stellar trend.
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The only thing that may detract from this novel (for some
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people; I certainly didn't find it a problem) is that Duane has
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adopted a sort of back-and-forth type of story; every other
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chapter is devoted to chronicling a part of the history of the
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planet. Those chapters may get a little tiring to some readers,
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but to me they were just another great facet of the book.
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This one's a Must Read(tm)...
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[Spock's World]
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Characterization: 5
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 5
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Narrative: 5
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Total: 5+
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Next: The Peacekeepers
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>TNG #2 The Peacekeepers Copyright September 1988
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>Author: Gene DeWeese
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Exploring a deserted alien spaceship, Lt. Commander Data and Lt. Geordi
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>LaForge suddenly find themselves transported light-years away -- into the
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>middle of a deadly conflict!
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> While Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise search feverishly
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>for the missing crewmen, Data and LaForge discover they are in a station
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>almost identical to the one they were exploring, high in orbit around an
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>Earth-type world. Years before, the occupants of that planet accidentally
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>stumbled onto the ship and its advanced technology -- and since then, have
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>used its weapons to keep the nations on the planet below disarmed, and at
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>peace.
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> Now their own arrival has precipitated a crisis on the station.
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>Somehow, Data and LaForge must find a way to restore trust between the
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>planet below and the station's guardians up above -- before a final,
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>destructive war breaks out!
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Gene DeWeese makes his debut in the TNG universe with this novel,
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preaching unilateral disarmament of nuclear weapons. Unfortuately,
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that's about all DeWeese accomplishes. The plot is solid, but the
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characterization and narrative are both poor, making for an average
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to less than average effort...
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[The Peacekeepers]
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Characterization: 3
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Premise: 3
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 2+
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Total: 3
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Next: Memory Prime
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>TOS #42 Memory Prime Copyright October 1988
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>Authors: Gar and Judith Reeves-Stevens
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> It is the central core of an immense computer library -- an entire
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>network of research planteoids. Here, the Pathfinders -- the only
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>artificial intelligences legally permitted to serve the Federation --
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>control and sift the overwhelming dataflow from thousands and
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>thousands of research vessels across the galaxy...
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> Now the greatest scientists in the Federation have gathered here
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>for the prestigious Nobel and Z-Magnees prize ceremonies -- unaware
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>that a deadly assassin is stalking one of them. And as Captain Kirk
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>struggles to save his ship from sabotage and his first officer from
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>accusations of murder, he discovers the hidden assassin is far from
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>the deadliest secret lurking on Memory Prime...
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Well, that was... intriguing. Actually, this is a better than
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average outing, considering that this was basically a modified murder-
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mystery. The plot is rather well handled, keeping the reader totally
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in the dark as the the outcome, and all other elements seem to be
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on keel.
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[Memory Prime]
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Characterization: 4-
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Premise: 4
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 3+
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Total: 4-
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Next: The Children of Hamlin
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>TNG #3 The Children of Hamlin Copyright November 1988
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>Author: Carmen Carter
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> The Hamlin Massacre -- every Starfleet officer knows the tale. The tiny
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>Federation outpost of Hamlin was destroyed, its entire adult population
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>ruthlessly slaughtered, before the first defense shields could be raised.
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>Even worse, the colony's children disappeared without a trace, abducted
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>by the aliens who attacked with a ferocity and speed that outmatched
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>their Starfleet pursuers.
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> Now, fifty years later, the Choraii ships have appeared again. But this
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>time the Federation is ready; this time the Choraii must pay for what they
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>need. The precious metals can only be bought with the Hamlin children still
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>living with their captors.
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> This time, the Choraii must face Captain Jean-Luc Picard -- and the crew
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>of the starship Enterprise...
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Here is a fascinating story. The premise is very new and unusual.
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(Breathing liquid oxygen? Is this possible?). The rest of the novel
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is average to better than average, and the dialogue is interesting...
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People complain about never seeing aliens on the TV series that are
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truly *alien*... well this novel gives us some truly alien aliens ;-)
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[The Children of Hamlin]
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Characterization: 4
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 4
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Total: 4+
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Next: The Final Nexus
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>TOS #43 The Final Nexus Copyright December 1988
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>Author: Gene DeWeese
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>StarDate: UNKNOWN
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>
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>Plot Summary:
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> Uncounted centuries ago, an unknown race from beyond our galaxy
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>created a series of interstellar gates -- shortcuts across our
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>universe -- and then disappeared, leaving behind no clues to their
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>fate, or the operation of their system. Twice before, the Enterprise
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>has used the system to traverse the galaxy, and returned each time
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>no wiser to the gates' operation.
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> Now it is imperative that they find out. For the gates are
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>breaking down, taking the very stars in the sky with them. The fate
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>of the galaxy rests in the hands of the Enterprise crew, and their
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>ability to communicate not only with creatures from another world --
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>but from another universe as well.
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In this fascinating sequel to _Chain_of_Attack, Gene DeWeese
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weaves a spellbinding tale of adventure. Everything is very well
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done here, from characterization to plot to dialogue... it seems
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that Mr. DeWeese is an on-again, off-again, hit-and-miss type of
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author...
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[The Final Nexus]
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Characterization: 5
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Premise: 5
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Plot Handling: 4
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Narrative: 5
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Total: 5-
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Happy New Year, everyone!
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Have a great 1993.
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RC Carman
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--
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/=======================================================================\
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| Ron C. Carman || Quantum physicists get all the girls. |
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| rccarm00@mik.uky.edu || Al. Is he live, or is he a hologram? |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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